Nelson Works Seven Innings For 4th Win and 6th Quality Start

Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds won their series opener against the Iowa Cubs Friday night at Greer Stadium, edging the visitors by a 4-3 margin. The win is Nashville’s fourth consecutive; the team’s longest win streak of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers top prospect Jimmy Nelson (4-1) guided the Sounds defensively from the hill, retiring his first 12 batters before running into a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning. He surrendered his first hit to Lars Anderson, a single, and walked a pair to load the bases.

Nashville Sounds.

The 24-year-old remained in control though and found three quick outs by way of an infield pop-up and an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play.

In the following inning, Nelson stranded another Iowa runner by striking out Cubs top-prospect Javy Baez to end his sixth scoreless frame.

The Sounds broke the scoreless tie in the home half of the sixth inning with RBI-knocks from Hector Gomez and Hainley Statia off Iowa starter Chris Rusin (1-4). Gomez, 2-for-3 brought in two runs with a bases-loaded single to the left-field corner, which was followed by a double from Statia to make it 3-0.

Nelson allowed Iowa two runs on four hits in the seventh inning. He finished the game after seven innings of work, picking up his fourth win and his sixth consecutive quality start. He fanned five batters and walked two.

His 12 batters retired to start the game, combined with the five he finished with on April 27th at Oklahoma City, gives him the team’s best for the season at 17 consecutive.

Reliever Dustin Molleken worked a scoreless eighth inning before Donovan Hand entered in the ninth. With one out and a runner on first and second, Hand got Logan Watkins to ground to short, but the ball caught a bad bounce and caromed off Gomez for an RBI-double. Hand earned his sixth save though by striking out the side.

Catcher Lucas May recorded his first hits of the season, rapping a pair of doubles for Nashville to help keep Nashville’s streak of 28 consecutive games with an extra-bases knock intact.

Pinch-hitter Jeremy Hermida doubled Nashville’s lead with a infield RBI-groundout in the eighth inning to score the Sounds’ final run, which proved to be the difference.

Gomez, Statia, May, and Hermida, batting in spots six through nine, combined to go 6-for-10 for Nashville to produce all four of the team’s RBIs.

The win is Nashville’s fourth consecutive one-run victory.

The Sounds play game two of their four-game series against the I-Cubs on Saturday night at 6:35pm. Right-handed pitcher Johnnie Lowe (0-0, 2.95) will make the start for Nashville, opposite Iowa’s right-hander Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 0.00). Broadcaster Jeff Hem has the call on 102.5 The Game. A fireworks show presented by Nashville’s NEWS 2 will follow the game.

Box Score

Nashville Sounds (16-12) 4, Iowa Cubs (15-11) 3
May 2nd, 2014

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

Iowa Cubs

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

1

3

8

2

Nashville Sounds

0

0

0

0

0

3

0

1

x

4

7

0

Iowa

AB

R

H

RBI

BB

SO

LOB

AVG

Mota, RF

4

0

0

0

0

1

0

.240

Alcantara, 2B

4

0

1

0

0

2

0

.286

Baez, J, SS

4

0

0

0

0

2

1

.167

Valaika, LF

3

2

2

0

1

1

0

.354

Anderson, La, 1B

3

0

1

0

1

0

1

.225

1-Szczur, PR

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

.267

Villanueva, 3B

3

1

1

1

1

1

2

.193

Watkins, CF

4

0

2

1

0

0

3

.283

Whiteside, C

4

0

0

0

0

1

7

.167

Rusin, P

2

0

0

0

0

2

0

.167

a-Gonzalez, E, PH

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

.571

Figueroa, P

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

.000

Mateo, P

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

.000

b-Vitters, PH

1

0

0

0

0

1

2

.200

Totals

33

3

8

3

3

11

16

.238

a-Singled for Rusin in the 7th. b-Struck out for Mateo in the 9th.
1-Ran for Anderson, La in the 9th.